Wrapped Up In You

One Step At A Time

Charlie yawned and stretched across the dark green sectional in her father's makeshift movie room. It was nowhere near the size of the room he had in the Huntington house. She had fallen asleep there watching Jurassic World after the fireworks display to ring in the New Year happened. She and Hayden...

Oh shit, Hayden.

Charlie looked over to the other end of the couch to find him sleeping peacefully.

Charlie ran her her hand over her face. Nothing had happened between them. Hayden was the perfect gentleman and she more than drew the line between them so he didn't get any ideas. Chris was it for her and she made sure he knew. Still every so often she could see what 14 year old Charlie saw and crushed on. She had no idea what his angle was...what he wanted after years of not paying attention at all so she was cautious.

She reached over to grab her phone from the small end table and checked the time. 9:15am...good, she thought to herself. Her parents probably were still asleep at Johnny's or Brian's. She had plenty of time to get Hayden out of the door with no one seeing. She lay thinking maybe she even had another 30 minutes to sleep.

She settled back on the couch only to hear Hayden stir.

"Where?" His tired voice mumbled.
She looked over at him and he seemed confused. "Oh shit... Charlie. We fell asleep."

Charlie gave a small smirk. "It's not a big deal. Jurassic World isn't that good of a movie."

Hayden pulled himself upright and reached for his shoes. "That's true."

Charlie sighed as he did. So much for an extra hour of sleep. She sat up.

The sound of the front door opening stopped Hayden in his tracks and Charlie felt her eyes open wide.

"Oh shit," she mumbled. "My parents."

Hayden stood panicked. "I thought they wouldn't be back to the afternoon."

Charlie perused the room for exit options. "They weren't supposed to be."

Hayden eyed the window and then back at Charlie. "Isn't your dad a really big guy?"

"Uh yeah," she said opening the door and then closing it quickly.

"He's going to kill me, isn't he?"

Charlie ran her hands through her disheveled hair. "It's possible," she offered even though Matt was usually the more rational of the two parents.

"Would it help if I explained that nothing happened or that I'm not interested in you like that.."

Charlie knew she should be somewhat offended but she wasn't. "Probably not."

"Fuck," he mumbled. "Think I can climb out of the window?"

Charlie shook her head. "There's nothing to hold on to. But...if we could get to my room without being spotted, you could climb down the lattice."

"Do you think we have a shot?"

"Let me check," she said slowly opening the door and stepping into the walkway of the hall. She peeked over the banister and could hear her parents talking. Good they were still downstairs.

"Should I wake Charlie up?" Matt's voice asked.

No no no no, Charlie said internally. Do not come wake Charlie up.

She turned quickly to find Hayden behind her. "There still downstairs," she said in a whisper and motioned to for him to follow.

"I can't believe Zacky and Gena..." Charlie stopped at the sound of Zacky name.

"Zacky and Gena what?" She whispered.

Hayden was alarmed at her stop and he pulled on her arm. "C'mon Chuck..I want to live to see 2016. Let's go."

She shook her head. Zacky had been her biggest crush all her life and here her parents were talking about him and Gena. Him and Gena were what? Back together.

"Yeah he fucked it up with Vix...."

Vix? Charlie thought to herself. What the fuck happened?

"Geez Vix," Lucy's voice said

Matt chuckled "Don't be mad at her. She was hurt. Besides if she wouldn't have said anything, you and I."

"I'm sorry, I love you," Lucy said quietly...almost too quiet for Charlie to hear.

"Say something else about Zacky," Charlie said to herself.

"Are you crazy?" Hayden asked "You're going to get my killed by your father if you don't show me the window to climb out of.

Charlie looked at him and opened her mouth to speak. A low moan came from down the stairs and Hayden's eyes widened.

"Oh my God, oh my God...please don't...do that," Charlie said panicking as she took Hayden's hand but it was his turn to stall.

"Wait...are your parents..."

"SHUT UP," she hissed as she pulled him toward her door way. 

"In their defense, they don't know you're here," he pointed out as she rushed them through the door and closed it carefully before turning on him.

"Still doesn't mean I want to hear them. Geez that's why they have a bedroom."

Hayden chuckled. "I see your point. Well...come out of the window with me...we can pretend that we're just getting home from breakfast or something. And then we won't get into any trouble."

"Good idea," Charlie said opening the window. "You first."

Hayden wasted no time climbing out and onto the lattice and down it in quick fluid motions. When he reached the bottom, he looked up at her. Any passerby might think he was reciting love poetry to her.

"You're turn," he said motioning for her to come down. 

She sighed deeply. She had always thought about using the lattice as an escape but had never done it. She eased herself on it and began to take it one step at a time. 

"Slow," Hayden encouraged "Don't fall."

"I'm not," she muttered as she moved down step by step.

"Good, cause if you did you're parents would really kill me."

"Nobody is going to kill you," she insisted as she inched down.

"Dad's are crazy about their little girls," he said as she jumped down the last foot from the lattice.

"Well luckily we don't have to worry about that," she smiled as she dusted her hands off.

"Charlie?" Chris' surprised voice came from behind her. "What are you doing?"

She turned to find her boyfriend looking from Hayden  to her with a slight confused and irritated look on his face.

Great.